Gone
by Fox Moonshadow
Summary: Why won't they believe me. I'm not a traitor. I'm not. Please.
1. Gone

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

Marco glared down at the figure lying at his feet, sea-stone shackles on his wrists keeping his powers dormant. Angry blue flames provided the only light in the cell, flickering on his arms and back and illuminating the form of the traitor. "Why did you do it?" He asked, voice ice cold. The traitor tilted his head slightly to look at him, dull brown eyes stopping at his chest, unable to look at the face. After a few seconds with no response Marco growled, grabbing the traitor's neck and slamming him against the wall. "Answer me! Why did you attack my brother?" The figure flinched, eyes closing and breath becoming ragged.  
"Marco…" he rasped out, coughing harshly, blood trailing down his chin. "Marco, I swear, I never…."  
"Shut up!" Marco snapped, throwing the younger male to the floor, drawing out a pained gasp and more coughing. "Don't you dare lie to me. We all saw you. You killed my brother and left another's life hanging by a thread. You better pray he pulls through, or I'll finish you off myself." Marco jerked up when the cell door suddenly opened.  
"Marco. It's Thatch. He's awake." Haruta gasped out, pointing down the hall she had just run down. Marco stiffened before bolting out the door, Haruta right behind him. Izo, who had been waiting to let Marco out after his talk with the traitor, glared at his former-brother before closing and locking the door. Ace just lay there, bleeding and gasping for breath.  
"Didn't attack Thatch. Not a traitor." He muttered, but there was no one there to hear.

LINEBREAK

"Thatch!" Marco yelped, sliding to a stop at Thatch's bed and nodding a brief greeting to the head doctor, Jason. "How do you feel."  
"Like I went three rounds with a sea king and lost." Thatch muttered, looking around. "How long was I out? Where's Ace?" Marco blinked at the odd question, wondering why he was asking about the traitor instead of Teach, who had defended him.  
"We caught Ace after he attacked you and Teach. He's down in the brig. Pops is apparently waiting for you to confirm the attack before we deal with him." Thatch's eyes widened at this. "Haruta, did anyone go tell Pops Thatch was awake yet? Thatch, what are you doing?" Thatch forced himself to sit up, hissing in pain as he aggravated his remaining injuries and ignoring Marco as he tried to get him to lie back down. "Is Ace hurt? How bad is it? What about Teach?" He asked, waving off Marco's hand as Jason, recognizing how stubborn the fourth division commander could be, quickly adjusted his bed so he could lean back while still sitting up.  
"Wha- Ace is a little banged up, I guess. Teach… is dead. Ace murdered him." Marco said, confused. Thatch's next words stole the breath from Marco's lungs.  
"Marco, Teach was the one who attacked me, not Ace." Marco glanced at the gathered audience, swallowing past the lump in his throat before cursing and bolting from the infirmary, Vista right behind him. They didn't respond to the startled calls when they passed Whitebeard and Jozu in the hall, racing towards the brig to retrieve their victimized brother.  
Marco quickly threw the door to Aces cell open, leaving Vista to make sure he didn't get locked in while he ran to Ace. "I'm so sorry. We'll get you to the infirmary. Hang on." He whispered gently, unlocking the shackles and picking Ace up, careful of his injuries. He froze suddenly, listening. "No."  
"Marco?" Vista asked when he saw Marco put Ace back down, blue flames dancing to life on the phoenix's back and shoulders, bright enough to light the whole room. Marco's eyes were wide as he looked down at Ace.  
"No, nononono." Marco muttered, pressing his ear against Ace's chest before searching out the pulse point on his neck with shaking fingers. Vista propped the door open and walked in, looking over Marco's shoulder. 'A little banged up' may have been an understatement, there were fairly deep cuts all over Ace's chest and stomach as well as a few on his legs where it looked like Marco had dug his talons in and just yanked. Marco suddenly cursed again, picking Ace up and racing out, leaving Vista to trail after him.

A good number of the commanders were in the infirmary when Marco returned but he ignored them, calling for Jason as he lay Ace on the first empty bed he found, shaking as he backed up. Jason drew in a sharp breath before yelling for various nurses, the best on the ship, and pulling a privacy curtain around the bed while they worked. At this point Marco collapsed in a nearby chair, panting slightly and staring at the floor. "Marco, son, what happened?" Whitebeard asked, brushing a finger against Marco's back only for him to flinch away. Marco just shook his head helplessly, arms folded around his stomach and face tinged slightly green. It was a tense ten minutes before Jason emerged from behind the curtain, shaking his head.  
"I'm sorry, Pops. We did everything we could. He's gone."

END

Edit: Tweaked a few things, mostly fixing typos and spots that did sound right.


	2. Healing

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

_I trusted you! Called you my brother!_

I'm sorry.

_After everything we'd been though together. Traitor!_

Didn't mean to. I'm sorry.

_MURDERER!_

Marco jerked up with a gasp, gripping the sea-stone band he wore around his right wrist tightly. Six months. It had been six months since he'd murdered Ace, he didn't deserve to call the younger man his brother, and the nightmares still haunted him. 'As they should.' Marco thought dejectedly as his breathing slowed to normal. The crew kept a small memorial on the ship, Marco knew that Thatch made a point of sitting in front of it every night and telling Ace everything that had happened that day. Marco avoided the memorial, didn't deserve to pass by it. There were deep bags under his eyes, the nightmares not letting him rest, and he'd lost weight. At the moment he was in a small skiff, the Moby Dick far behind. Breathing deeply, Marco pulled up the small anchor and unfurled the sails, checking the eternal pose he'd brought to make sure he was still on course. It wouldn't be long now.

LINEBREAK

On the Moby Dick Thatch sat in front of Ace's memorial, unable to sleep. It had been three days since they had woken to discover Marco missing and still there was no trace of him. Thatch couldn't shake the chill that had set in along his spine. Sighing, he looked up at Ace's grinning picture. "Please, look after Marco. Pops only just started to recover from losing you. I don't think his heart could take losing another son so soon." He whispered, leaning back against the wall behind him and wiping away tears. "Please. We can't lose him too."

"Thatch? You should be sleeping." Thatch looked up at Haruta as she walked into the memorial room. She had obviously been crying recently.

"So should you." Thatch said, holding out an arm invitingly. Haruta wasted no time climbing into his lap and hiding her face in his chest. "I couldn't sleep. Nightmares again." He'd been having a lot of nightmares lately. If he hadn't been knocked out so early in the fight against Teach or if he'd just woken up a little sooner then Ace might still be alive. "What about you?"

"Same." Haruta whispered, cuddling against Thatch and clinging to his shirt. "We'll find Marco, right. He'll come home and then everything can be okay again?" Thatch sighed, hugging Haruta close and looking up at the picture again.

"I hope so, Haruta. I really do."

LINEBREAK

Marco stumbled slightly as he reached his destination. The island he'd landed on was covered with bright red flowers with orange centers. Now he stood at the top of the island's highest cliff overlooking the sea, staring at the grave before him. Ace's knife was stabbed into a slot at the top if the grave, his bead necklace hanging from it and hat perched on top with the cord tied around the knife to keep the wind from blowing it away. An abundance of the red fire lilies had been planted around the grave. Slowly, Marco stepped onto the barren soil under which Whitebeard's Second Division Commander was buried, falling to his knees with tears in his eyes. "I know I'm probably the last person you want to see." Marco whispered, wiping his eyes and pulling his shirt off. "I'm hear to fix things. I can't change what I've done, but I can at least see your murderer brought down. Only seems right for it to be your blade that does it." That said, Marco gently removed the hat and beads from the knife and set them aside before drawing the knife from the gravestone. Pressing the knife against his own flesh and biting back a yell when his blood splashed against the ground.

LINEBREAK

Whitebeard frowned, looking down at the skiff his children had found drifting. It was definitely one of theirs, he recognized Ace's sleeker than normal design. So, they'd found the skiff Marco had taken, but still no Marco. The Moby Dick was now sailing steadily towards the small island Ace had been buried on, hoping Marco was there. It was the only island close enough for the skiff to have drifted from in such a short amount of time. Looking towards the island, he prayed that they would find his son safe.

LINEBREAK

A soft whimper escaped Marco as he pressed the knife against his left temple, sliding it carefully between his eyes and to the center of his right cheek before pulling it away. He swayed slightly, blood dripping from his mouth, as he cleaned the knife of his blood using his previously discarded shirt and returned it to the gravestone, blood-loss leaving him lightheaded. Blinking a few times to clear his vision, he returned the beaded necklace and hat to their places, carefully tying the hat's cord around the handle of the knife again, before looking down at his injuries critically. He remembered every cut he'd given Ace all those months ago, saw them every time he closed his eyes. The deep cuts that now divided his face, torso, and legs - crossing over the mark he didn't deserve to bear - were exact replicas off those injuries. Nodding in satisfaction, Marco finally let himself fall to lie on his side, half on the grave and half off, just as the first drops of rain hit him. "I'll be there soon, Ace. Then you can beat me all you want."

"_Idiot!"_ Marco blinked, glancing up even as he coughed up more blood. He had to blink again at what he saw, wondering if the blood-loss was affecting him more than he thought. Kneeling there next to him, hat firmly on his head and a frantic look in his eyes, was Ace. _"Why would you do something like this?"_ Marco looked away, unable to bear the sight of the man he'd killed, though he was pleased to see that Ace's injuries were gone.

"I killed you. It's what I deserve." He said weakly, closing his eyes. His breath rattled slightly, he suspected he'd nicked one of his lungs while cutting over them.

"_Marco, I never blamed you for my death."_ Ace's spirit said, tears shining in his eyes. _"Teach killed me, not you. Never you."_ Growling, Ace tried to push Marco onto his side so he could apply pressure to his injuries only to have his hands go right through Marco's body. _"Listen to me, Marco. My death was not your fault. Please, get that sea-stone off and heal yourself. Go back to Pops. I can't do anything to protect our family, but you still can."_ Marco didn't react, his rattling breath the only sign that he was still alive. _"Please, Brother, I love you."_

"Marco!" Ace looked up when he heard the shout, smiling when he sawThatch running up the hill that led to his cliff, the rest of the commanders and Whitebeard himself behind him. Turning back to Marco, he gasped and his smile fell. Marco wasn't breathing.

LINEBREAK

Marco knelt in front of Ace's picture in the memorial room, two sticks of Ace's favorite cinnamon incense burning beneath it. "I still don't think I deserve to live." He said softly. "I know I don't deserve to bear Whitebeard's Mark. Maybe someday I'll be able to redeem myself. Until then, I'll protect your family the best I can." He didn't look up when Whitebeard walked in behind him.

"We're your family too, Son." Whitebeard said softly. Marco flinched at the title.

"Don't." He said, shoulders slumped. "Don't call me 'Son.' Not yet. Not until I earn it."

"And when will you earn it?" Whitebeard asked, sitting down against the wall. "You must know that none blames you."

"I blame myself. I can't be your son until I don't." Marco said, tracing the scars crossing over the mark he didn't deserve to bear. "Until I can trust myself again, I'm no one's son." Whitebeard sighed before reaching forward and grabbing Marco, cradling him gently. Marco didn't fight him, only lay still as Whitebeard stroked a finger through his hair.

"Rather you acknowledge it or not, you will always be my son. I love you to much to call you anything else." Marco looked up at Whitebeard for a few seconds before hiding his face in the large man's chest, the first of many sobs escaping.

"I love you too, Dad."

END

The much awaited sequel/second chapter to Gone. Marco will eventually be okay, don't worry. All he needs now is time.


	3. Bad News

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

"Are you sure about this, Marco?" Thatch asked, looking at his brother. The two stood on a skiff not far from a caravel with a sheep figurehead that bore a smiling Jolly Rodger with a straw hat. They had been following the ship for a week now, remaining out of sight while they tried to determine if it bore the crew they were searching for. They'd received confirmation two days ago at a small island, this was definitely Monkey D. Luffy's ship.

"I'm sure. I need to do this." Marco said, fingering the sea-stone band he still wore. "He has a right to know."

"It's one thing to tell him, but what you're proposing is insane." Thatch hissed, clinching his fists. Marco looked up at him for a moment before turning back to his band, brushing his thumb over the inscription of Ace's name.

"I need to do this." He repeated. Thatch sighed, rubbing the back of his head and looking away.

"Alright. I won't stop you, but I'm going with you." He said, turning back to Marco. Marco nodded, finally dropping his hands and turning to the ship.

LINEBREAK

Usopp yawned, looking out over the ocean. He never thought he'd actually _want_ something crazy to happen, but after five weeks of peace even he was getting bored. He straightened up slightly when a small skiff came into view with two men on board, one an orange-haired man with a pompadour wearing what looked like a chef's outfit who was messing with the sails and the other a blonde who's head and hairstyle reminded Usopp of a pineapple in a purple shirt and blue pants staring at the ship. Usopp turned back to call the rest of the crew over as the two got close enough for him to spot the twin swords at the 'chef's' waist. "Something we can help you two with?" Nami called down once the two were close enough to talk to.

"Possibly." 'Chef' called back, looking up at them. "The name's Thatch, my friend here is Marco. We're with…"

"We're looking for Monkey D. Luffy." Marco cut in, giving his friend a quick glare. The Strawhat crew tensed, Zoro stepping slightly closer to Luffy and resting his hands on his swords.

"To what end?" Robin asked, arms crossed over her chest. Marco glanced over the crew before his eyes settled on Luffy.

"It's about your brother."

LINEBREAK

Luffy glanced back at his crew and Thatch as he followed Marco down the beach of the island the two had led them to. "So how do you know Ace?" He asked, folding his arms behind his back and leaning forward to look over the impressive collection of scars on Marco's torso and face. Marco flinched slightly before taking a deep breath.

"He was part of the same crew as me for about two years." The taller man said, voice heavy. Luffy frowned, tilting his head slightly and straightening up.

"'Was'?" He asked, wondering what had happened. Maybe their crew had split. Luffy knew it happened sometimes, though he didn't know why. If you didn't want to be someone's nakama why sail with them to begin with? Marco stopped walking, apparently deciding they were far enough, and turned to face the younger pirate. Luffy tensed when Marco pulled a gun from the back of his pants and then blinked in confusion when Marco held it out to him handle first.

"Take it. You'll want it in a minute." Marco said. Luffy looked up at his face for a few seconds, taking in the look of grief and guilt with a growing sense of dread, before slowly taking the gun. "About six months ago, Thatch found a Devil Fruit during a raid. He was deciding if he wanted to eat it or not when one of our nakama betrayed us." Luffy couldn't help but gasp at that, eyes wide. Marco nodded. "It shocked us too. His name was Teach and he'd been part of our crew for nearly seven years. Turned out he'd only joined us because he was looking for a specific Devil Fruit and wanted to use our resources to find it. He wasn't exactly thrilled that Thatch found it first."

"What does this have to do with Ace?" Luffy asked when Marco paused. Marco closed his eyes, sighing.

"When Teach attacked Thatch the night after he'd found the fruit, Ace was having trouble sleeping and taking a walk around the ship to get rid of some extra energy. He saw Teach attack Thatch from behind and jumped from two level up to stop him. The sound of the fight woke the rest of us, but by the time we got there Thatch was unconscious. Teach spotted us and yelled that Ace had attack Thatch…."

"Ace would never do that!" Luffy snapped, growling. Marco held his hands up in surrender, nodding.

"We know that now, but try to see it from our viewpoint. One of our nakama was down, two more were trying to kill each other right next to him. We didn't want to believe either of them would betray us, but it was clear one of them had." Marco said softly, tears starting to well up in his eyes. "I don't know if you knew it, but Ace had eaten a Devil Fruit that gave him control over fire. Thatch had clear burn marks on him. We know now that Teach had thrown Ace into Thatch while he was using his power, but at the time it looked like a sure sign Ace had attacked him." Luffy nodded, though he didn't completely understand. He grasped at least that Marco had been forced to choose between two trusted friends and the evidence was against Ace.

"What happened next?" He asked, afraid of what answer he would get.

"While Teach was distracted, Ace managed to stab his knife through Teach's throat and up into his brain. He was dead before he hit the deck, but Ace wasn't in the best shape either and ended up collapsing. A few crewmembers wanted to kill him then and there, but our captain stopped us. He wanted to hear Ace and Thatch's sides of the story before he did anything. With the possibility of Ace being a…a traitor, we locked him in the brig until Thatch woke up. Thatch was in a light coma for three weeks." Marco said, closing his eyes. "During that time…I went down to the brig every day to interrogate Ace. Thatch was my best friend, I was…enraged by his injury. Ace was supposed to be my best friend too." Here Marco's voice cracked, a few soft sobs escaping before he got a hold of himself. "He told me over and over that he didn't do it, but I refused to believe him. These scars… are exactly replicas of the injuries I gave Ace during my interrogations." Luffy's eyes widened, looking over the scars again as Marco traced them with his fingers. Luffy's hands were shaking, the gun Marco had given him starting to make sense. He prayed what he was starting to suspect was wrong. "Ace held on just long enough to hear that Thatch was okay." Marco looked up, spreading his arms out to his sides. "I murdered your brother, and now I'm here to accept whatever retribution you give."

Luffy searched Marco's eyes, silently begging for it to be a lie. All he found was guilt and pain. Slowly, he looked down at the gun, before narrowing his eyes and throwing it as hard as he could into the ocean. Marco's eyes widened, his head turning to follow the path of the gun until it sank below the waves with a splash. Turning back to Luffy, he was unprepared to meet Luffy's fist against his jaw and ended up being thrown back just shy of the tide. Luffy was quick to follow, just about pouncing on Marco and grabbing the collar of his shirt in one hand, the other pulled back to punch him again. Marco closed his eyes, ready to accept his punishment, but the pain never came. Instead a soft cry escaped Luffy as he let Marco's shirt slip from his hand before falling on the older pirate, hiding his face in his chest and clinging to him as he cried. Marco looked down, stunned, before carefully wrapping his arms around Ace's brother.

"Why?" He asked, noting briefly that his jaw wasn't broken after all. Luffy pulled away slightly but didn't look away from Marco's chest.

"Because you're sorry." He whispered. "You've been punished enough." Marco sat up carefully, one arm around Luffy while the other supported his weight. He could see Luffy's crew coming closer, concerned, with Thatch not far behind. Nodding to his brother, he lowered his head to rest on Luffy's and held the boy close while he cried. He'd been forgiven.

LINEBREAK

Ace smiled at the scene far below as Marco finally removed the sea-stone band he'd worn for the past six months and tossed it into the ocean, leaning back into the arms that held him. "Our baby brother's all grown up." He said. Sabo chuckled, resting his head on Ace's shoulder.

"He'll be just fine." The blonde agreed, tilting his head slightly. "He's still a crybaby, though." The two spirits laughed as they faded away, content that everyone they cared for would be safe without them.

END

Got a request for Luffy's reaction. Ended up making it into an explanation of the whole incident. The reason Marco didn't want Thatch telling them they were Whitebeard Pirates was because he didn't want Luffy to be afraid to kill him if it came to that, though it was kind of pointless since I'm pretty sure Luffy wouldn't even know who the Whitebeard Pirates are at this stage. Takes place sometime after Robin joins but before either Franky or Brook join.

My primary inspiration was actually Gundam Wing when Heero goes to the families of the pacifists seeking redemption. Luffy, however, is no pacifist.

Oddly enough I haven't even gotten far enough in One Piece to meet Ace, yet all my One Piece stories so far center on him. Haven't seen Heero with the pacifists' families either.


End file.
